FP100: No. 15

Cupar’s iconic ‘Angel’ War Memorial was recently restored to its former glory.

Situated in the Haugh Park the monument, which overlooks St Catherine Street and the town’s County Buildings, was unveiled by Field Marshal Earl Haig in 1922.

The angel has a very interesting past - her face was modelled on crofter’s daughter Johan Munro, who was born in Ross-shire in 1895.

A friend of the Gamley family, whose sculpting business was commissioned to produce the angel, Johan was in her mid to late 20s when she was asked to model. Her daughter, Ona MacTavish described her mother as “Junoesque.”

With her striking and tall figure (she was about 5ft 10 ins), she was an obvious choice for the angel.

Johan, according to Ona, was a “bit of free spirit,” training as a teacher in Glasgow before taking up a post on Rum.

Later she came to Fife and taught in Lochgelly.

Ona says that free spirit continued until her mother died aged 98. She always treasured her memories of her involvement in the angel statue and proudly kept a photo of the plaster edition, along with a personal inscription to ‘Miss Munro’ from sculptor H. S. Gamley.